


Godling

by Atriel



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Asexuality, Bisexuality, Canada, Diverse Characters, Faeries - Freeform, Fantasy, Galleina, Gods, Greek gods, Homosexuality, Humour, Lesbians, Multi, Not nearly enough coffee, Original work - Freeform, Parallel world, Polyamory, Swearing, Tired College Students, idk what else to put here, more tags as the story unfolds I guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-07 21:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7729579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atriel/pseuds/Atriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a tall, dangerous looking white guy in a huge fur coat shows up out of nowhere to bring Damian and his friends on a quest, they're understandably skeptical. Of course, they end up going with him anyway. It turns out you can get a group of college students to go just about anywhere as long as you promise dogs, magic, and better coffee.</p><p>Oh, and there's also the part where they're in danger. </p><p>Damian knows that getting involved in a foreign revolution isn't the smartest thing, but as long as you're on the right side, the good side, then it's not as bad as it could be.</p><p>Unfortunately, Damian also knows that when magic is involved, nothing is ever as it seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coffee and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Squad get a surprise visit from a strange stranger and Suraya breaks the fourth wall.

The first time Damian saw the strange man, he almost didn't notice him. In fact, the only reason he _did_ notice him was his height. He was a big, hulking man of at least six and a half feet. Damian had barely caught a glimpse of him before he turned the corner.

The second time Damian saw him was two weeks later, outside Aurora College campus. He almost missed him that time too, but happened to look to his left just in time to see the large man disappear into the crowd.

The third time Damian saw him, two and a half weeks had passed and he was meeting his friends at the local coffee shop. Inuvik, a tiny town in the Northwest Territories, wasn't even on most maps. Because of this, there were almost no chain businesses.

Mugs, located in the centre of town, was Inuvik's equivalent of Starbucks. It was also pretty close to the college, which meant that it was the coffee shop of choice for most of the students. The fact that they made the biggest and best cinnamon buns in the whole city didn't hurt.

Damian's best friend Suraya was sitting at a table with their three other friends, Marlin, King, and Raina. Sura was hunched over the table, Raina holding the other girl's fluorescent pink hair back while she tried to shove as much of a cinnamon bun in her mouth as possible. It was almost the size of her head.

"By the gods, Suri, slow down or you'll hurt yourself!" Damian exclaimed as he took a seat at the table. Marlin pushed a steaming mug toward him and he took a sip. Mmm, double chocolate mocha.

"You know better than any of us, Crow. Once she gets her little claws in any sort of pastry, there's no reasoning with her," King drawled, making a flippant hand gesture before taking a sip of his affogato. None of them were one hundred percent sure what the drink actually was.

"Shut up, Kingston. You're exactly the same with cheap candy," Marlin said around the straw of his bright pink cotton candy frappe.

"No one asked you, _weeb_ ," King shot back, "and you eat too many vegetables. It's weird." Damian sighed into his mocha.

Across the table, Suraya was giggling at them, a hand over her mouth and her cheeks stuffed with cinnamon bun like a chipmunk.

"Woah," Marlin said, looking out the window past them, "look at that guy!" King heaved a dramatic sigh, but Damian was already turning to where Marlin was subtly pointing his finger.

"Now is not the time for your insatiable libido, Fish Boy. I–" "That's him!"

Everyone turned to look at Damian. "That's the guy I've been seeing around campus for the past month! I only noticed because he always looks really sketchy." Raina leaned back so she could see.

"Okay, you have a point. He does look pretty sketch, I think it's the huge fur coat. He looks like he belongs on the set of Game of Thrones."

"I wonder what he's here for?" Sura had finally swallowed her mouthful of cinnamon bun, though the pastry was rapidly making its way back to her mouth. Raina reached back for Sura's hair.

"I think he's looking right at me," Damian said lowly, turning back around and sipping his mocha. He didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself.

"Nonsense, Crow. And it doesn't matter why he's here. I figure you're all just overthinking it. Now, it has been a wonderful time, but Raina and I have a date." He drained the rest of his affogato and stood up. Raina handed him her mug and he placed both their empty cups on the counter.

"Ooh," Marlin teased, "who is it this time? The redhead from the second floor?" Raina smirked back at him and took King's offered arm.

"No, actually. The cute blonde from Psychology."

"Her again? Wow, that doesn't happen very often." Raina patted King's arm.

"She's fun, and she used to be a gymnast." Raina winked. "Anyway, we're off, see ya!"

There was a chorus of byes that followed the couple out the door. There was the quiet tinkle of a bell as the door opened and closed.

Damian looked over to see Sura chewing like a chipmunk again and chucked lowly, pulling the cinnamon bun over to him so he could break it into more manageable pieces. If he stole a piece while Sura wasn't looking, well, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

———

"Wait, so you're telling us that we're in danger? From what, student loans? Because I'm pretty sure we've already sold our souls to the government on that one."

Five hours had passed since King and Raina left them in the coffee shop, and now the five of them and the strange tall man from before were crammed inside the tiny third floor apartment Damian shared with Suraya. He wasn't exactly sure why, King's apartment was closer. And bigger. And King didn't have to awkwardly shuffle four friends and a man who looked like he belonged on the set of _The Revenant_ past the little old lady from apartment 203.

"Marlin, stop flirting." Marlin whipped around to glare at King, who was cleaning his nails with a feigned nonchalance that no one believed.

"I'm not!" King just raised both eyebrows.

"He's really not, he always sounds like that when he's arguing. Why do you think there's that rumour going around that he's our third? You guys argue constantly," Raina said, fixing her dark hair over her shoulder.

"Wait, is that why I can't get a date around here anymore? Everyone's too afraid of Raina to–"

"Yes it is, now shut up. Sura looks like she's about to explode." Sura slapped Damian in the arm but everyone quieted down. Weird and Wild looked awkward and more than a little confused. The kind of confused where you really don't want to know.

"Ok, but. Has no one else realized? This is literally the beginning of a fantasy YA novel! I wonder who the main character is..." Sura trailed away, her brow furrowing as she became lost in thought.

"Obviously it's me," King said. Raina flicked him on the forehead.

"Shut up, King," Sura said absently, she turned to address the stranger, "so, what are we? Changelings? Werewolves? The last children of a dying warrior race, hunted by Marlin's evil uncle?"

"Hey!"

"Well you _are_ the weirdest."

"I resent that," Marlin muttered, and left in the direction of the kitchen.

"The beets are in a container on the bottom left shelf," Damian called to him.

"Actually," everyone turned to look at Tall, Pale, and Heavily Weirded Out, "you five are the Children of the Gods."

"Ah," said Sura, "that was my next guess. Aren't demigods a little... Y'know, Rick Riordan? I'm pretty sure that's been copyrighted."

"No, not demigods. Children of the Gods is a title given to those with a patron god or goddess. When a god or goddess chooses a Champion, they gift them with some of their powers. It would take you all two years of constant training to unlock and learn to use your powers, let alone master them. This is why we need to find the Key. The Key will give you full use of your powers, you'll only need a little bit of training to get a handle on them."

The man crossed his arms, his deep gravelly voice echoing through the small room. Marlin returned from the kitchen, holding a container of dark red chopped beets. He was still chewing when he spoke up.

"Yeah, ok but," he swallowed and pointed his fork at the tall stranger, "we don't even know your name. How are we supposed to know you aren't the bad guy?"

"Shut up and eat your red dirt vegetables. What I want to know is who our patrons are." Sura looked the man in the eye and stared him down. Damian tapped lightly on her shoulder.

" _Little too intense there_ , _Suri_ ," he whispered. In response she giggled and widened her eyes. Damian let out a small sigh and rubbed his forehead.

"My name is Tarquin. I suppose I can't actually offer you any reason to believe I want to help you, you're going to have to trust me. Now, for your patrons. The little miss that is still staring at me is the champion of Persephone. Her dark skinned friend—"

Damian sighed, what was it with white people always having to bring his skin into everything?

"— is the champion of Hades."

Seriously? Was it because he was black?

"Marlin, was it? Champion of Poseidon." King burst out laughing.

"By the gods, he really is a fish boy!" Marlin glared at him.

"I only fell in once, and I haven't been ice fishing since! Let it go already!"

"The other lady is the champion of Hera, and last but not least, the young man laughing is the champion of Zeus."

"Ha! I knew I was the main character!"

"We should have known, his name is King, he's Greek, he's got that golden blond hair, and he really likes Harry Potter for no apparent reason. Now we know it's the scar." Marlin put a forkful of beets in his mouth and gazed at the ceiling, chewing mournfully.

"Surprised you even know what pompous means, Water Wonder."

"Fight me, Sparky!" Raina directed the fork that was pointed at her boyfriend back into the container of beets. She raised a single eyebrow at Marlin until he pouted and ate another bite.

"Right, ok so, so far you've said we're in danger, we have magic powers from the Greek gods, and we need to find a key. What are we in danger from? And where is the key?" Raina crossed her arms and fixed Tarquin with a neutral expression.

"Actually, we're in more immediate danger than you five are. Alistair, the leader of the resistance, sent me to find help. Don't get me wrong, the forces we're fighting against _will_ eventually come for you. This way is safer for all of us.

"And as for the Key, it's supposed to be hidden, but Alistair and I found an ancient text that says it's hidden in the temple of the goddess Aranndéonn."

"Wait wait wait, hold on. I've never heard of any goddess named Aranndéonn before." Marlin looked incredibly skeptical, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, holding the empty container.

"You wouldn't have, she's one of the seven goddesses worshipped in Galleina." He held up a hand as Marlin opened his mouth. Damian bristled lightly at having his friend be dismissed like that. "Galleina is a parallel world, a world that can be accessed by portals all around this earth, Terra. The portals occur naturally in sparsely populated areas. The closest portal is at the end of Navy Road."

"That's an hour's drive from here! Do you even have a car?"

Tarquin crossed his arms and looked the slightest bit sheepish.

"Sort of."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the first chapter of Godling! What do you think of the characters so far? Any predictions for how the story will go? Tell me in the comments!


	2. Polar Bears and Doggos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Squad make a ruff trip through the snow.

"You rented _sled dogs_?" Sura exclaimed excitedly, running up to pet each dog individually.

' _He rented sled dogs!?_ ' Damian thought incredulously. He exchanged a glance with Marlin who looked vaguely annoyed.

"You know," Marlin said, "it's not exactly a very good idea to take sled dogs for over an hour's ride. They're slower than cars — a _lot_ slower — and they, unlike cars, get tired from traveling long distances."

"There aren't a lot of places to rent a car around here. Dogs are easier, and cheaper, to rent," Tarquin said without turning around. He was fiddling with something on the sled.

"Anyone else wanna know when he got them?" Raina asked lowly. Her arm was linked with King's, though it looked a little difficult as they were both wearing heavy parkas.

Damian turned up the collar on his own beige parka and shivered. Dog sledding was a cold sport, it was like driving around in a convertible in the dead of winter. Sura was going to need a scarf, otherwise she'd freeze.

"I'd hate to think they were outside this whole time," Sura said, a dog by her side. Damian gave her the side eye; the dog looked like it was still attached, but it was only a matter of time.

"Here," he said, pulling a scarf out of his pack. He figured if they were going to be going on a long trip to a place they'd never been, he might as well bring some supplies with him. If only to keep Marlin from eating the snow in place of water. Sura brightened as she saw the scarf.

"Thanks Dames!" She made to grab it but Damian was faster, winding it around her neck. The beige and purple material swallowed up her mouth and nose, only her amused eyes were safe. She reached up and tugged it down, tucking it in a knitted lump under her chin.

"You're the best, Damie!" She giggled as his eye twitched. Damian sighed and shook his head. That girl would be the death of him.

 

* * *

 

 Damian was right. He usually was, but this time it wouldn't have hurt to be wrong. The freezing wind pushed against them as they hurtled through the snow alongside Navy Road. Marlin stood a little in front of him, his back ramrod straight as he held the reins, a sure sign that he was annoyed, verging on angry. In the sled beside them, King had one hand on the reins and one arm around Raina, her face turned into the fur of his parka.

Leading the charge were Tarquin and Suraya. Sura had said she wanted to be up front so she could be "surrounded by the doggos". Every once in a while she would turn back to look at them, her eyes bright. She'd give them what Damian assumed was a thumbs up, but Marlin swore up and down they were finger guns.

"I don't trust this guy." Damian turned to look at Marlin. They had been talking earlier but after about twenty minutes the cold became too much and the conversation slowly died down. Damian wasn't sure how long ago that was, but he has been lost in thought for more than a couple minutes.

"No?" he asked, clenching the railing tighter through his thick gloves. His gut told him that they were getting themselves into something big, voicing their doubts this early in the adventure could end up doing more harm then good. If they got into trouble they'd need solidarity, that wouldn't be possible if they didn't trust their guide.

"I know Sura does, but she trusts too easily. And I know what you're gonna say, Dame, but you can't blame me for being suspicious. I mean, If we didn't _already know_ something weird was going on, Raina would've kicked him out faster than he could say 'winter is coming'."

It was a good thing it was almost impossible to hear anything over the howling wind, because Marlin's voice was steadily getting louder. Damian placed a hand on his friend's arm to calm him.

"I don't really trust him either, Mar. It wouldn't be really smart to trust someone you've just met with your life. But Mar, we have _no idea_ what we're getting into. We need him, because we can't navigate an entire new world by ourselves, no matter how smart we are. And for the record, we both know Suri doesn't trust him completely. She's got a good head on her shoulders, if a little excitable."

Marlin just huffed a sigh, his shoulders curling in.

"You have a point." "I always do." The two boys chuckled quietly.

"Hey, Dames?" Marlin asked after a short period of silence. Damian turned to look at him again.

"Yeah Mar?"

"... My glasses are freezing my nose."

Damian heaved a sigh and laughed at him.

"Shove over, you big baby. I'll take the reins, just put your glasses in my pack or something."

"Thanks Damie-bear you're the best!"

"Don't call me that again, ever."

The sound of Marlin's strong laugh was swallowed up by the icy, biting wind.

 

* * *

 

Damian was about ready to start tossing things at Tarquin to get his attention for a rest when the polar bear appeared.

The beast was huge, bigger than any bear Damian had seen before, and living where he did he had seen his fair share. He had barely noticed it at first, only a small speck in the distance, but then when they got closer he realized it was running. At them.

The gigantic white bear was loping across the snow, faster than they were sledding. Damian tried to tell himself that most bears didn't attack humans, which worked to ease his anxiety until the bear launched itself right at Sura.

Damian didn't even have time to scream.

His hands jerked at the reins, his mouth wide open but no sound came out. King had already stopped his sled and was running hand and hand with Raina towards where Sura lay limply on the snow.

Marlin manhandled him off the sled and as soon as he realized they had stopped moving his brain rebooted.

"Sura! Suri! By the gods, are you okay? _Suri_!" Raina turned and shushed him, nodding her head at Sura who was staring into the distance, watching something with rapt attention.

Damian turned to see what she was looking at and realized for the first time that what he had subconsciously assumed was the wind was actually the snarls and growls of two bears fighting.

The new bear was even bigger than the first. It had dark fur like a grizzly, and it was attacking the polar bear with a ferocity that was almost hard to watch. Damian didn't have to ask where Tarquin was, he had a feeling he already knew.

The grizzly swiped a giant paw across the polar bear's muzzle, sending it sprawling. It huffed a low growl as the polar bear picked itself up and threw itself back at the grizzly. The two fought slowly but with heavy strikes and deep cuts from sharp claws.

Sura watched the whole thing with wide eyes, she looked almost horrified, as did the rest of them. Raina's burgundy lips were turned down, her mouth slightly parted, her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed. King's normally sky blue eyes were dark, a slight sneer on his face. Marlin was rubbing a gloved hand over his mouth, clearly disturbed. He turned away, presumably to go deal with the dogs who were getting visibly anxious.

The grizzly knocked the polar bear onto its back, placing its strong front paws on the other bear's chest, clamping its jaws around its neck. The grizzly held on tight, lightly shaking the polar bear. Damian was just about ready to cover Sura's eyes when the polar bear moved on its own.

The grizzly hadn't killed it, only given it a warning.

The polar bear let out a low whine and the grizzly stepped back. The bear slumped and began so shrink, bones silently bending and remoulding. Then, a split second later, in the polar bear's place lay a black man who looked about ten or so years older than Damian with white hair and a large grey overcoat trimmed with white fur.

The grizzly stood up on its hind legs and it too began to shrink. Tarquin shook out his dark coat and strode forward to catch the man who used to be the polar bear by the front of his shirt. The man, who had been in the process of getting up, stumbled in the snow and hung, his knees only a couple inches from the ground. Tarquin pulled him close and gave him a feral grin, their faces only centimetres apart.

"You'll never get away with this, Tarquin, the Sarin knows where they are now. She's already sent someone after me. You'll never be able to beat the Sword."

Tarquin's grin turned bloodthirsty and proud.

"I already have. I think it's about time you went to visit our leader, the Promise. Alistair will be most pleased to see you, Alban." Alban's expression was stony and determined, but the slightest bit of fear shone in his dark eyes.

Alban turned his head to look at them, he looked regretful.

"I'm so sor–" Tarquin slapped something on his wrist and he flickered out of existence.

He let the arm that had been holding Alban up drop down to his side. He swiped a hand through his hair and walked back to them, his expression open and apologetic.

"I'm so sorry you all had to witness that. I told you they would come, we have to hurry," he looked out into the distance, "it's a good thing we're almost there. Maybe ten more minutes."

He looked back at them and smiled. Damian reached down and gripped Sura's wrist, Marlin's hand was tight on his shoulder.

Something was very wrong.


	3. Portals and Pretty Ladies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marlin swoons and Suraya is the definition of ladies first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to post a chapter two weeks ago so here are two at once. Also I removed the prologue so that might throw you off a little.

By the time they got to the lakes at the end of Navy road, the dogs were basically dragging their feet. Sura was leaning a little too far over the front of the sled, worry etched all over her face. Damian really wanted to keep her far away from Tarquin but they couldn't afford to act suspicious. From the way Raina was gripping the rails he could tell she was thinking the same thing.

Tarquin held up a large hand and pulled on the reins, causing the dogs to slow down and stop. Marlin and King quickly tugged on their own reins so they wouldn't run into the two in the front.

Damian leapt off the sled, his boots sinking slightly into the frozen snow. Raina had already run over to Sura and had linked their arms together. They were talking quietly with their heads bent together as King stood a little off to the side.

Marlin reached into Damian's pack, fishing out his glasses before handing it over to him. Damian took the pack quietly and swung it over his shoulder.

"Now," Tarquin was saying, "the first thing you have to know about Galleina is that it's populated by what you mortals would call 'mythological creatures'. Of course they aren't actually myths so it's impolite to call them that."

King sneered from his place over by the girls.

"You say 'mortals' like you aren't."

Sura was slowly inching her way over to the dogs. Damian heaved a sigh and turned to look at the last person he wanted to see. The man had valuable information, even if he wasn't trustworthy.

"Most of us are, some — like the fae and the elves — live very long lives but eventually die of old age. The Lunari, you call them vampires, can be killed, but don't die of old age.

That's where our problems come from. Alistair is starting a revolution to overthrow the Sarin, you would call her the queen. She only has any real power over the fae, but they live such long lives that the influence they have over Galleina is really strong."

Suraya looked up from where she was crouched, petting the dogs. She looked confused and a little sad.

"Aren't fairies supposed to be nice and pretty? Why would the Fairy Queen, the Sarin, having influence be a bad thing?"

Tarquin gave a rough chuckle and pressed something on his forearm. He then slid the arm of his coat back down and looked at them.

"These aren't the tiny flowery pixies you read about in fairy tales. These are full sized tricksters with almost no morals and the ability to change any aspect of their appearance, right down to their DNA. They have no regard for any life other than their own. They usually keep to themselves but in the last couple of years they've started to create havoc in the cities. Trust me, it's a lot worse than it sounds. Their powers are very strong and they can do a lot of damage."

Sura let out a quiet sigh and turned her nose into the fur at the dog's neck. She had always loved fairy tales, when they were kids she had made Damian read them to her over and over. Sura's dream was to marry a fairy princess.

The trip they were on was different from any fairytale he had ever read, and Damian had read a lot. Hopefully they would still get the happily ever after.

"Okay," Tarquin said, fiddling with the device on his forearm again, "we should be ready to pass through in a minute. I have someone coming to take the dogs back and we need to wait until they get here before we can go."

King clapped his hands together, easily taking the focus from Tarquin. "Gather all your stuff together. We don't want to leave anything important like a first aid kit. Crow, I know you have your pack and Raina has her purse, does anyone else have anything?"

Marlin gave King a playful shove on the shoulder and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. King practically howled, patting frantically and trying to fix it. It wasn't really working as the gel had almost frozen solid. Raina took over and glared at Marlin, causing him to flinch even though his back was turned.

"We have everything together, King, don't worry." Damian hiked up the pack and beckoned Sura over. She gave the dog one last pat and shuffled her way to his side through the powdery snow.

Marlin stepped out from where he had inched his way behind Damian. He gave Raina a side glance and then looked forward, letting out a small, wistful sigh. They had all dubbed that sigh the 'Vegetable Craving Sigh'. As they started walking to the edge of the lake Raina discretely handed him a small bag of baby carrots.

She smirked as he looked at her, starry eyed, clutching the carrots to his chest. He was going to have some difficulties opening the bag and holding the carrots, what with his thick gloves, but Damian knew better than to point that out.

They all stopped behind Tarquin, who turned around to look at them, his boots crushing the thin layer of ice at the water's edge.

"You're all lucky the ice hasn't melted too much yet. The portal is right in the middle of the lake." He pointed to a spot in the distance.

"Uhh," Marlin said, adjusting his glasses and squinting, "there's nothing there."

"For the love of– _here._ " Tarquin pressed the same spot on his forearm and a hologram appeared above it. "Look through that."

Damian peered through the almost transparent white projection and noticed that the area over the middle of the lake was shimmering. Very subtly, like how the air looks over a barbecue or hot pavement. Except, after looking at it hard for a moment, he almost thought he could see it changing colours.

" _Woah_ ," Marlin breathed. There was a loud crunch as he stuffed a carrot in his mouth.

"Can anyone else see the colours?" Raina glanced around as they all nodded.

"Ok so how do we go though it?" King asked, crossing his arms and looking at Tarquin.

"Simple, we just walk through. We have to wait for my friend though. Ah! There she is now."

The air above the lake rippled and a figured stepped through. She was covered in furs like Tarquin was, though unlike him she had a few different kinds.

"Tarquinius, darling, I'm here for the wolflings," she practically purred as she made her way towards them.

"Caracalla, beautiful as ever." He kissed her outstretched hand.

"And who are these pups, Alistair's new recruits? Delighted to have your acquaintance, dears." She bared her teeth in a wolfish grin.

Caracalla placed a tanned hand on Marlin's shoulder, he jumped slightly and almost dropped his carrots.

"Aren't you just the sweetest thing? Chime me when this is over, sugar." She traced his jaw with a perfectly manicured nail and patted his cheek. She then turned back to Tarquin and fixed her dark hair.

"Well, darling, I best be going. This has been... Pleasant." She sent a sultry smile in Marlin's direction and walked away.

King clapped Marlin on the back.

"Sorry you had to go through that." Marlin grimaced.

"Yeah," he said, "I mean she was really hot — like _really hot_ , honestly–"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it!" Marlin smiled sheepishly.

"There's just something about her that's... well... terrifying."

Tarquin cleared his throat and crossed his arms.

"Well, now that that's over. Ladies first." He made a sweeping gesture to the shimmering air above the lake.

Sura made a bee line straight for the portal, trudging briskly through the packed snow. Damian followed quickly after, Marlin hot on his heels.

_That girl,_ Damian sighed internally, she was going to get into some real trouble someday, and he was going to lose his head over it. She needed to stop rushing into things and start using her head. He supposed that was what _he_ was there for.

It took some effort to keep from wiping out on the ice, though the thin layer of snow overtop really helped. Sura didn't seem to be having any trouble, and passed though the portal about ten seconds before Damian did. Seeing her disappear into thin air sent a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

Going through the portal was one of the weirdest things Damian had ever done. It felt like walking through a curtain of smooth molasses. Everything went white for half a second and then the sensation was gone and he was in a completely different place. It was like he had stepped straight into Stanley Park in Vancouver, a place he had visited once when he was younger. The snow was gone and in its place were luscious green woods. It felt like it was truly spring.

He shrugged off his heavy jacket as Marlin passed though behind him. To his left, Sura was looking around wide-eyed, her parka hanging over her arm.

"It never occurred to me that it would be _warm_ here," she said, looking at him over her shoulder. "I love it already."

Marlin laughed and King and Raina appeared, holding hands. Tarquin stepped out, adjusting his coat.

"Well, now that we're all here, we should continue heading east. We're running out of daylight and I want to get as far away from the portal as we can before we set up camp."

King looked incredulous.

"I thought we were going to get there today! How far away _is_ this temple?"

"The temple of Aranndaeonn is in the middle of the Bavic region, we're on the lower west coast. We have about fifty of your kilometres between us and the temple. That being said, we'll be walking on uneven terrain. We can't risk taking the main roads."

" _Fifty kilometres_!" Raina strode right up to Tarquin and looked him straight in the eye, her expression fierce. "I don't suppose it occurred to you to tell us this _before_ we started this 'little' adventure?" she asked icily.

"Well _I_ don't suppose any of _you_ would have agreed to come if I had, now _would_ you?"

"This _better_ be worth our while."

"Don't threaten me, _skýla_."

" _What_ did you just call me?"

Damian sighed heavily as Marlin pushed the two apart. They _really_ didn't need to be fighting, they needed to get this quest over with.

King took his girlfriend's hand and pulled her off to the side. Tarquin walked ahead, leading the group through the maze of trees. On Damian's left, Sura tugged lightly on the fringe of her shirt as she walked. Marlin was on his right muttering angrily under his breath in Spanish, occasionally running a hand through his hair.

Damian knew it would fall to him to diffuse the situation. Besides, he was curious.

"So what did Caracalla mean when she said to 'chime' her?" Tarquin looked over his shoulder, surprised.

"Oh, that? Ok, so here in Galleina we have this thing called the Interface. I guess you could compare it to the internet, sort of. But instead of just the information being stored, the screens are too. This device on my arm," he pulled his sleeve up to show them, "is connected to the Interface. If I need anything: a screen, a keyboard, a camera, anything, I just tap it. All you need is intent. 'Chiming' refers to sending messages over the Interface."

"So," Marlin asked, "is the Interface magic or technology?" Tarquin glanced back over his shoulder and Damian saw his lips twitch.

"Yes."

The face Marlin pulled was meme-worthy.


	4. Suraya and the Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suraya needs a leash and stranger appears.

They walked about another hour before they finally stopped to set up camp. Suraya watched with wary eyes as Tarquin pulled a couple tents out of the large sac he was carrying. Damian was digging through his pack for something, though Sura couldn't imagine what. It wasn't like he could fit a tarp in that thing.

Raina pulled a water bottle out of her purse, taking a quick drink before she passed it to King. Sura edged closer, she was quite thirsty herself.

King handed her the bottle and Raina made a small noise, like she had remembered something important.

"You know," Raina started, "when we get back, we should chat up the brunette with blue streaks from Art History."

King hummed in agreement and Raina grinned, showing perfect white teeth. Sura envied those teeth.

Suddenly, something occurred to her. She did a quick mental head count and looked at Raina suspiciously.

"Rain, there aren't any brunettes with blue streaks in Art History. We have the same class, I would have noticed." The couple laughed and Sura narrowed her eyes.

"Sura dear, that's 'cause you only look at the girls." Sura narrowed her eyes even further and fixed her gaze on King. Just as she was about to interrogate him, Marlin came over and pulled her away.

"Mar. Mar, listen. King, he's– Mar are you listening this is important. King's not straight. He's not straight! I thought he was the token straight guy! Mar listen you don't understand, _he likes guys_. _Mar_."

"Suraya please."

"No, wait, Mar. Mar put me down, I have just received life changing news you don't need to put me in the corner. Marlin Alejandro Crest you put me down _this instant_ or so help me I will–!"

"Suraya," Damian cut in with a sigh, "stop threatening the boy, he's starting to look a little green."

" _Dios mío_ , you remind me of my mother and her _chancla_ ," Marlin said, rubbing his arm like he was experiencing phantom pain.

Sura flicked him on that same arm and he pouted at her. She stuck her tongue out at him in retaliation.

"Well, the sun has finally set. Friday is over, the weekend has begun. I'm gonna chill in this bitchin' new world and pretend I don't have a paper due Monday." She flung her coat to the side of the clearing and stretched dramatically.

Damian grimaced and ushered her into the tent Raina had just entered, picking up the discarded parka along the way.

Pretty soon all the others were asleep. Sura, however, had a penchant for stargazing and a tendency toward insomnia (usually self induced). She also had a habit of not following the rules and exactly no sense of self preservation.

Thus, with this horrible combination contained in one incredibly curious 24 year old, the others would be less than surprised to find out the next morning that she had gone exploring.

Sura's neon pink hair glowed in the starlight as she stood outside in a pink floral tank top and black jeans, a cardigan tied around her waist in case she got cold. Sura had known that she wasn't going to be going straight to sleep, so she hadn't bothered to change into her pyjamas. However, she had forgotten to bring an extra pair of shoes with her, so she was stuck tromping around in her big clunky snow boots.

She'd only gotten a couple minutes away from the camp before she had to admit that the boots were too hot. Sura let out a huff of annoyance and listened for the stream she had caught a glimpse of earlier. She set off toward the sound of rushing water.

"The gods are real," she exclaimed quietly as she sat on a particularly large rock by the water's edge, tearing off her boots and socks. She let out a deep sigh of contentment as she sank her feet into the water.

"Those boots must be really uncomfortable." Sura didn't even twitch, twelve prank wars in a row were nothing compared to an unfamiliar and unexpected voice in the middle of the night. At least, they were when Damian was involved. And pissed.

"They're made to keep your feet warm in snow. _Way_ too hot for this climate." Sura didn't even bother to open her eyes as she responded to the stranger. She wiggled her toes into the dirt.

"I'm assuming, since your first comment was about my boots, that you aren't going to hurt me or anything. Come, sit." She patted the patch of rock to her left and scooted over.

The stranger stepped out from the cover of trees and sat beside Sura. They sat in silence for a moment, appreciating the sound of the water and the small scuffles from animals deeper in the forest.

"I followed you from camp." It was a statement, nothing more.

"Snow boots weren't made with stealth in mind," Sura conceded. The stranger shifted, her clothes rustling slightly.

"Can I ask why you left the safety of your camp to explore in a place you know nothing about?" She sounded vaguely disapproving, though mostly amused.

"Well, to quote something I found on the Internet," Sura gave a roguish grin, "my friends are basically 85% of my impulse control." She turned to she stranger, finally opening her eyes. Sura fully intended to make a joke about them not being able to control much of anything while they were all asleep but fell short once she laid eyes on the woman sitting beside her.

She was about the same age as Sura herself, maybe a couple years older. She had russet skin, not much darker than Sura's own tawny brown. However, what had really caught Sura's attention were the stranger's eyes.

Bright purple amethyst, framed and complemented by the _actual monarch butterfly wings_ she had in place of eyelashes. The stranger smiled at Sura's apparent speechlessness — something that happened rarely, if it all. The woman's eyelashes weren't the only strange thing about her. What Sura had momentarily dismissed as dreadlocks were actually dark green vines. All in all she was–

" _Gorgeous_ ," Sura whispered. The stranger's smile grew. "Do your eyelashes flap on their own?"

The woman snorted, "Of course that's the first thing you'd ask."

She held her hand out, it was covered in a fingerless glove that seemed to be half dark leather and half lightly glowing technology.

"My name's Mirabilis Grove, but you can call me Mira." Sura shook her hand.

"Suraya Bahar, but you can call me Sura." Mira gave her and strange look and withdrew her hand.

"So the legends are true?" It was Sura's turn to give her a look.

"What?"

"My Lady, you don't remember anything, do you?"

"What am I supposed to be remembering?"

"I wasn't offering a Terran hand shake, that was a customary greeting between royals." Sura tried to keep herself under control. Between _royals_?

"See you hold your hand out like this, and then instead of clasping hands, you let your magic mingle." A wispy bluish green light started lifting from her hand like smoke. It collected loosely in the palm of her hand, tendrils running up and down her fingers. Sura was almost transfixed by it, but there was a more important question burning on the tip of her tongue.

"You said royals, does that mean...?" She trailed off, breathless with anticipation.

"Yes, you are an incarnation of the goddess Persephone, though without your previous memories."

"Not what I meant, though that's pretty cool. Are you a fairy princess?"

Mira froze for a moment before bursting out laughing. The magic dispersed, lighting up their small section of stream. Sura looked at her and thought she'd never seen anything more beautiful.

"Oh, my Lady you're like no one I've ever met. My proper title is Sarinna of the fae, though I've also earned the title of Sword."

"Ooh does that mean you're the best swordswoman? Can you show me?"

Mira smirked at that. She stood up from the rock and stepped onto the bank of the stream. Sura took that opportunity to examine the other woman's outfit properly.

She was wearing a loose white top that was made out of a soft material Sura didn't recognize. The front of the shirt ended just above her navel, but the back flowed down just past her knees. The baggy sleeves were tied at the wrist by what looked like vines. She wore strange brown leggings that almost looked like they were made of bark in some places, mainly her knees. More vines coiled around her waist, not revealing any copper skin. It was the strangest outfit Sura had seen by far.

Thankfully she was distracted from the smooth collarbones showcased by a wide neckline when Mira reached her gloved hand out and it started glowing. A soft teal aura surrounded the dark glove and Sura subconsciously held her breath.

She could _feel_ the magic gathering.

Suddenly Mira clenched her outstretched fist and a sword appeared in her hand. The magic that had been building dissipated like a contented sigh. Sura revelled in the feeling.

The blade Mira held was long and thin, it was made of a metal Sura had never seen before. The blade seemed to glow from within, like moonstone, and had shining runes carved in a line down the centre of the blade. The hilt was simple pale silver, wrapped with what looked like ivory leather. In the place of a pommel there was a large pink gemstone, the exact shade of Sura's hair.

" _Bitchin_ '," Sura whispered, showcasing her superior way with words.

Mira snorted and almost dropped her sword.

"I'm going to take that as the compliment it was meant to be."

Sura abruptly extended her arms out in front of her and made grabby hands at the sharp weapon.

"Can I hold it?" she asked in direct contrast to her demanding actions.

Mira very delicately placed the sword on Sura's outstretched palms, casually placing a child proofing charm on the blade. Sura went starry eyed.

She was too busy staring in awe at the otherworldly blade to notice the fond smile that graced Mira's lips. 

After a few minutes she handed Mira's sword back to her and watched as it vanished from her gloved hand.

"So," Sura said as she rolled her pants up to her knees, "tell me about your amazing sword fighting skills. What's it like to be a princess? And what's that about me being a goddess?"

Mira laughed and followed Sura as she waded into the rushing water.

* * *

It was past midnight before Sura decided she needed to go back to camp and get some sleep.

"Please," Mira asked as they sat back on the large rock to dry themselves off, "make sure your friends know who they are and that they shouldn't trust Tarquin. I need to go ask the Sarin how to get your memories back. She should know if the Key is real or not."

Sura grinned and let go of her boot, almost dropping it in the water, to salute the other woman. "You can count on me, Sarinna!"

Mira grinned back at her and her eyelashes flapped. They both froze for a second.

"That... Was the weirdest thing I have ever felt."

"I'm sorry for asking, probably gave them the idea."

The both giggled and Sura finally managed to lace up her second boot.

"Well, this has been fun. I'd say chime me but I don't have anything connected to the Interface."

Mira unclasped a necklace that Sura honestly hadn't noticed she was wearing. It was a simple silver chain with a small black opal pendant.

"Here, it's connected to my server but if I do this," she tapped it with a glowing finger and adjusted something on the screen that appeared, "now you can chime me. If, Naiphlonn forbid, there's an emergency, all you need to do is say my name. It doesn't matter how quiet, it's all in the intent."

Sura accepted the necklace, knowing better than to try and refuse this wonderful gift. Mira motioned for her to turn around placed the necklace around Sura's neck.

"The magic in it makes it hard to notice, unless you were looking for it."

Sura turned her neck to look at the other woman. Deep brown met bright violet and she knew she was right in trusting Mira.

"You should go, get some sleep. You'll need your rest if you want to get away from Tarquin."

"Thank you," Sura said, "for everything."

And then she left.

* * *

Sura had gotten about half of the way back to camp. She had been debating for a couple of minutes on whether or not she should take her boots back off. It had cooled off a little but she had to admit it was just too hot.

She sat down on a fallen log and started undoing the laces. A quiet rustling noise drew her attentions, though she didn't look up from her boot.

"I don't know what kind of shoes you're wearing, Mira, but they're a lot stealthier than–" She cut off with a shriek as she was forcefully grabbed. There was a flash of light and the clearing was silent.

The snow boot hit the dirt with a heavy thunk.


	5. Lost Girls and New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Panic! At the campsite

Marlin woke up with the distinct feeling that something was wrong. He had learned a long time ago to trust his instincts, especially when he was in an unfamiliar place.

He lay very still, assessing his surroundings with his eyes closed. He could hear birds chirping outside and the soft sound of Damian's breathing from beside him. He couldn't hear King and assumed he had gotten up already. Marlin opened his eyes to stare at the dark fabric of the tent.

"Crow! Crest! Get up!" Damian shot up and the sound of King's panicked voice.

Cursing bitterly under his breath as he pulled his jeans and boots on, Marlin hoped Damian wouldn't let his imagination get away from him. He knew the other man was probably imagining increasingly worse scenarios, the thought of his distress made Marlin move faster.

Damian crouched to unzip the tent, cursing again as the zipper got stuck. He tugged a couple times before becoming impatient and crawling through the small opening in the bottom. Marlin sighed and calmly but quickly unzipped the rest of the door. His friend had been on edge ever since they started their adventure.

"King? What is it, what's wrong?" Damian shouted, jumping when Marlin placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head briefly to look at Marlin, as though to verify who he was, before looking back to where King was coming out of the woods.

"Damian, I'm so sorry." Marlin winced as Damian let out something close to a snarl. King never called any of them by their first names, he was a pretentious asshole like that. Marlin wished they would just get it over with, they all knew Damian didn't handle stress well.

It all came to a peak when Raina stepped out of the line of trees holding a boot.

"Where's Sura?" Damian asked lowly. King winced and Damian made a small, desperate noise.

"Where's Suraya? _Where's my sister_?" Marlin could tell he had tried to yell the last part but instead it had come out as a harsh sob. He crouched beside his friend as Damian fell to his knees, rubbing circles on his back as he cried.

Marlin glared up at the sheepish and distraught couple.

"You couldn't have done that _any differently_?" He growled.

"It's not like we planned it that way!" King exclaimed indignantly. Raina placed a hand on his arm, clutching Sura's boot tight to her chest.

"We're all upset about her going missing, but we need to calm down. We'll never be able to get her back if we're all fighting with each other." Raina wiped her eyes, being careful not to smudge her day old makeup. She hiccuped and her composure faltered.

"She must have wandered," Raina whispered, "she _knows_ she's not supposed to wander!" King wrapped his arms around her as she started to cry.

Marlin glared at the ground while Damian shook beside him. He knew that somehow Suraya's disappearance was Tarquin's fault, he could feel it. They should never have followed him, but it was too late to turn back now.

"Where's Tarquin?" He demanded just as the man walked up to their small group.

"What happened? What's going on?" Marlin took a deep breath, ready to turn around and rip Tarquin a new one. Surprisingly, King beat him to it.

"Suraya is _missing_ ," he hissed, clearly pissed off, "and I have had it up to _here_ with all this bullshit. I want answers, _straight_ answers."

Marlin knew that it would have been the worst possible time to make a joke, but that didn't stop him from thinking it.

"I'm a pretty tolerant guy, I kind of have to be with everyone making fun of my name, but this is just..." King trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose, hard.

"We know _nothing_ about this place. You gave the shittiest possible explanation and we rolled with it because Suraya was excited and it was safer to go than to stay. But now she's gone, so you'd _better_ start explaining."

King's rant seemed to shake the others back into their right minds. Raina wiped her eyes and pulled a compact mirror out of her pocket to fix her makeup. Damian rubbed his face and stood up. He was a wreck, but a determined wreck so Marlin figured that was good enough.

Marlin ran a hand through his hair and ignored the way his knees protested as he got out of his crouch.

"I agree with King, you have a lot of explaining to do. If you have any idea where she is you need to tell us."

Tarquin sighed and looked off into the woods.

"She must have been taken by the fae. They're known to kidnap people, even you mortals know that." He looked Marlin straight in the eyes. Marlin didn't flinch, he just crossed his arms and stared right back.

"If she _has_ been taken by the fae, then we won't be able to get her back without your powers. We need to get the Key, there's no way around it." Damian glared at Tarquin, his eyes still red from crying.

"Fine. Let's get moving, I don't want to waste any time."

* * *

"I'm telling you, Arden, it was just like you said. 'Snow boots weren't made with stealth in mind'." Mira gave a wistful sigh and rolled over. The screen followed her movements, switching from the right wall to the left wall.

The woman on the screen giggled, a midnight hand reaching up to cover her mouth. She swallowed before responding.

"I know I can see the future but that doesn't mean I'm constantly checking. So don't make me laugh while I'm eating, Mira, _honestly_. Nudgefudge is meant to be _savoured_."

Mira grimaced and rolled back over, the video popping back up on the right wall.

"I don't know how you can eat that, Arden, it's disgusting."

"I'll have you know that Chae, Taeyun, and Kalea all love nudgefudge, so back off." She pointed an accusing finger at Mira but was obviously fighting a smile.

"We've already established they have no taste. I mean, they're gonna end up with you, so."

Mira stared at her friend, watching her eyes crinkle as she laughed. As the Oracle, Arden had sacrificed her ability to see the present in order to see through space and time. The result was captivating. Her eyes were entirely gold, the whites having completely swallowed up her iris and pupil.

Suddenly those golden eyes widened and Mira shot straight up, the video appearing on the wall in front of her.

"You need to leave right now immediately." Mira didn't ask any questions, knowing they would be answered as she gathered her things.

"I'm contacting the others, I know you were waiting for Linden to arrive but he's going to have to meet you there." Mira tapped the green stone set into the collar of her blouse and the video feed popped up in front of her.

"Take your bike, you're gonna need to get there fast. Since the spell to restore their memories is in three parts you're going to have to split up. I took the liberty of chiming Caracalla as well, as she's uniquely suited for this. Also, Polyhymnia and Clio are searching the libraries as we speak."

"It's nice to know you're pulling out all the stops, I mean it's not like you've only got _two_ people looking for a _super important life saving scroll_ that could be in any of _five_ libraries," Mira said dryly, speed walking down the corridors. Arden pouted gold painted lips.

"They have the entire library staff looking with them, and they aren't _that_ unorganized. Besides, the rest of the Muses have either been sent to the other two Libraries or were already gone! Melpomene's not scheduled to be back from New Zealand for a good month and Thalia has strict orders to not leave Korea."

"Fair enough," Mira said as she flicked her wrist, summoning her bike from the pocket dimension she'd placed it in. She climbed on it and sped away from the citadel.

"Hurry, Mira. The longer you take, the longer Alistar has Suraya."

Mira's heart skipped a beat. She clenched the handles of her bike and willed it to go faster.

"Why didn't you tell me that Sura'd been kidnapped," she said through gritted teeth. Arden gave her a sad look, filled with something that wasn't quite pity.

"Because I knew you weren't going to listen to anything after that. Oh, Linden's chiming me. Ride safe."

* * *

Marlin didn't know what to think when he saw what looked like a bike straight out of Tron speeding right at them.

Luckily, Raina could keep a cool head in these kinds of situations. She managed to pull him and King off to the side — Damian had already moved — in time to see the bike pass right through where they had been standing only moments before.

"Yikes, that was close," Raina muttered from beside him. Apparently they were _all_ tired, Raina only slipped up like that when she was too exhausted to care.

The person on the bike pulled up abruptly behind them, their helmet collapsing out of sight as they got off. Marlin couldn't help but stare.

The person was a woman with warm russet skin, violet eyes, and dark green vines for hair. She strode angrily toward their group.

Marlin caught on to what she was at about the same time Damian did. Before he could stop him, Damian was walking up to meet the fae woman. There was no doubt that he was furious.

"Where's Suraya? _Bring her back right now_ ," he seethed. The woman turned her piercing gaze on him and Marlin could have sworn he saw her expression soften.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" She asked heatedly, hardly breaking her stride.

"I assume the Oracle has finally Seen what we're up to? Pity, I would have liked to have had five gods completely under my control," Tarquin said, his voice casual but edged with anger.

"You may be one of Alistair's right hand men, Tarquin, but even you can't be arrogant enough to think you could beat me. They call me The Sword for a reason." She punctuated her sentence by summoning a blade from thin air. Marlin was absolutely certain that whatever it was made of, it wasn't any kind of metal they had on earth.

"Bring Suraya back immediately or I _will_ kill you." She levelled the blade at him. There were barely three inches between the tip of her blade and Tarquin's throat, and yet he didn't seem frightened in the least.

"Nice try, Mirabilis. I'll never go against Alistair, and I don't fear death. Do your worst, _skýla_." He bared his teeth at her in an angry smirk.

"That's Mirabilis- _dess_ to you, _stercus_. Have respect for your betters," she sneered, voice steady despite her obvious rage, "I guess that means you've made your choice."

Quick as lighting she lunged forward, and with a powerful swipe of her sword cut Tarquin's head clean off his shoulders. Or she would have, had he not flashed away less than half a second before the blade touched his throat.

As soon as Mirabilis realized what had happened, she let out a frustrated scream and stabbed her sword into the dirt at her feet.

Marlin was eyeing the others, trying to let Raina know that _she_ should be the one to approach the strange violent fairy that was apparently hell bent on finding their friend. King did not approve of this plan and was shooting daggers at Marlin with his eyes.

However, before they could reach any kind of decision, Mirabilis pulled her sword out of the ground and flashed it away to who knows where. She then walked straight up to Damian and took him by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes.

Damian shot Marlin a look that Marlin took as something along the lines of ' _what the fuck_ , _what the **fuck**_ , _**HELP ME**_ ', though he could have been wrong, Marlin hadn't exactly taken any classes on look interpreting.

"Damian," Mirabilis said very seriously, "you're Damian, yes?" Damian gave a quick, jerky nod, and despite the situation they were in Marlin found himself having to fight a laugh.

Mirabilis visibly relaxed, but didn't take her hands off Damian's shoulders. Marlin made the mistake of glancing back at King and Raina who happened to have identical weirded out expressions. Marlin snorted and tried to cover it with a cough.

"You're Sura's Soul Brother. Good, you'll come with me." Damian looked even more weirded out, if that was even possible at this point. Marlin honestly had no clue what was happening anymore, but if there was one thing he had learned from swim class, it was to roll with the waves, and if you got swept out into sea, well, there was nothing you could really do but wait for help. And possibly scream.

"Um," Damian started, uncharacteristically awkward, "where are we going?"

Mirabilis patted Damian on the arm. Marlin coughed again.

"Well, Soul Brother, I can answer _that_ question when my friends get here." A smile grew on her face as a dull roar could be heard in the distance.

"Ah, here they are now."


End file.
